Gay Marriage and All The Single Ladies

So, gay marriage was legalized in New Zealand on April the 17th. This day the Kiwi Parliament passed the law; which meant a historic event in New Zealand’s short existence as a Nation State. The law was voted 77 favour to 44 against, and when the decision was finally announced the place was filled with expressions of joy and happiness.

The point here is not gay marriage, is the consolidation of New Zealand as a country pro human rights, working hard as one, regardless of some historic differences, to set an example for rest of the world. Gay marriage is not the issue, is marriage itself and the fact that every single citizen in their countries need to have equal rights and equal means to fulfill their lives as human beings.

We must follow the examples set by New Zealand and recently France regarding the matter, and welcome ourselves to a better and more plural society. Honestly, stop using quotes from the bible against the gay community or telling us how hard would it be for you to explain to your kids that gays are allowed to marry. About this last point, they are your kids, the issue isn’t gay marriage itself, is the fact that you don’t know how to communicate with your children, but that’s a different issue.

“I Now pronounce you, Bro and… Bro, sweet as!”

I’m happy for all my gay friends, whom I’ve witnessed live with their other half happily, and now they are able to legally present their union to the rest of the community. This means more weddings, and fiestas and celebrations, and life is all about celebrating it, no matter what excuse we use.

Those against gay marriage, should keep their opinions to themselves, like the way I dislike Maroon 5 but still sing along with my friends who like that rubbish, because I love my friends. They have the right to sing that, the same way I have the right to eat a whole bucket of  KFC without getting judgmental looks from them, right?

I think this testimonial sums up what I’m trying to say: 

• “I just got a text from my mother … and I was quite thrilled to have her say she thinks I should have the same opportunities as my brother, who’s straight, so that’s really nice to have that support from my parents.” /Scott Summerfield, 22

Figs and Stuff Like That

Apparently it’s figs’ season in Mexico. I don’t know when I started liking this fruit, but the flavour is amazing. Just the combination of colours makes wonder if there’s anything more beautiful and tasty than figs.

I reckon the second time I tried a fig, it was gently wrapped in Spanish ham. The contrast of the salty cured ham with the sweetness of the fig, plus the texture of the outside of the fruit makes a great combination.

Some people tend to forget that experiencing new flavours is another way to open our minds to new and bright ideas. Let’s be honest, if you settle for grilled meat, burgers, frozen food and pizza, you, my mate, aren’t really enjoying yourself in terms of food consumption.

I´m not telling you: go vegan, no freaking way. Neither: buy only organic, because, let´s face it, sometimes some of us don´t have that choice or it isn’t affordable. What I’m telling you is “Try new things, experience new flavours”, that’s pretty much it.

If you order a shrimp cocktail and instead of tasting the freshness of the seafood by itself you add a lot of ketchup and Tabasco sauce, you, my mate, should have ordered a cup of cucumber instead.

If you order your steak well done, you, my mate, aren’t willing to enjoy the real flavours of that meat, the juices, and textures only present in a medium cooked rib eye, outstanding.

If you, my mate, refuse to try fresh sashimi, escargots, insects or roasted kumaras, well, open your heart and mingle, you won’t regret it. Don’t settle for the usual, give yourself the chance to travel around the world without leaving your city, just by eating new things.

Ps. We can’t say that what happened during the Boston marathon a couple of weeks ago isn’t worth talking about in the media; but there are other horrible things happening in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America that shouldn’t be overshadowed by this event, and shall not be underestimated.

Ps2. President Barack Obama will be visiting Mexico tomorrow, great chance to see the interaction of the leader of the free world with the president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto. Let’s hope Enrique has improved his English pronunciation.

Salmon and Mango

Chemistry, like cooking, is all about experimenting, mixing ingredients and measuring the results. In terms of cooking, different ingredients go great together. Sometimes we don’t mix them because it doesn’t seem right, like figs and Spanish ham, Camembert and strawberries, honey comb and blue cheese. These combinations are freaking awesome, the flavours mix in a way that makes you experience each ingredient individually but allows you to taste the result of their blend.

The following recipe is an example of this.

Ingredients 

• 350 grams of fresh salmon with skin (scaled) 
• 1 ripped mango cut in small cubes
• 1 spring onion nicely chopped (use most of the green part, don’t be shy)
• 1/4 of a red onion finely chopped
• 1 medium size chopped tomato, no seeds
• 1 finely chopped serrano or jalapeno
• 1 handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• The juice of 1 lime
• 1 spoon of dill weed
• 1 tea spoon of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

 

Mix in a wee container salt, pepper, dill weed and nutmeg. Place the salmon skin up and with a sharp knife make some lines on the skin. This is good for presentation but also stops the skin to contract while cooking it. Now season the salmon with the mix, thoroughly, it’s all good, believe me, now stop! Put the salmon on the side to rest, elaborate, and listen.

In a good size bowl put the red onion, the spring onion, the cubed mango, the chilli, coriander and the tomato, mix all the ingredients together. Finally add the vinegar, lime juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. Put aside.

On a hot non stick pan add 1 spoon of olive oil, when it is ready place the salmon, skin to the pan first. Oh, open the windows, this cooking method produces a strong fishy scent, true story. After two minutes of cooking it, turn the salmon to the other side, season the skin a little bit more with pepper and dill weed. This meat is easy to tell when is ready, as the skin turns from and orange/pink colour to… well, salmon or light pink. Finally turn again the fish, skin down, for one more minute, you want that skin cooked and crispy, oh yes you do.

Let’s bloody plate this sea delicacy! Salmon skin down to the plate, and now gently pour that fresh mango salsa you just made, there you go. Eat it! You’ll notice the texture of the salmon, its crispy skin and silky meat mixing in your mouth with the freshness of the coriander and onion, the sweetness of the mango and those crunchy spicy bites of chilli, yum!

Oh, a good New Zealand Pinot Gris goes amazing with it.

Ps. I added some saute asparagus with mushrooms on the side, just because I can.

Ps 2. You can use some pork chops instead of the salmon.

Dessine-moi un Mouton

Today is the 70th Anniversary of “Le Petit Prince”, my favourite book ever.

Why do I love this book? Simple, it reminds me that we must keep our imagination alive, that becoming an adult doesn´t mean that our dreams die with this new stage of life, and that we need to enjoy the simple things that life has to offer.

This book was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) in 1943. The author, Antoine, was a French aristocrat, poet and aviator. It was voted the best French book of the 20th century.

Le Petit Prince is also, well, can be sense as a tale of loneliness, love, friendship, adventure and kindness. It revolves on the stories and sayings of a young prince fallen to earth. The Little Prince criticizes Saint-Exupéry for his lack of disposition to enjoy life, his lack of effort to imagine beyond what he knows and believe what he hasn´t seen with his own eyes.

The book has amazing quotes, these are some of my favourites:

“One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

“It is the time you have lost for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

Everywhere I´ve traveled I´ve taken my copy of Le Petit Prince, sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in French, sometimes in English. It joins me in my adventures, so I never forget that I´m here to live life, to risk, to imagine, and live by the premise:  “No one is ever satisfied where he is”.

The Little Prince is part of our cultural heritage, you must read it and read it again. It is never the same, it changes with you, it grows up, and makes you put things into perspective. We are here to question our lack of creativeness and selfishness. Le Petit Prince will live in our hearts forever, because deep inside we all want someone to draw us a wee sheep.

Ps1. You can read the original version of this masterpiece in the following link: Le Petit Prince 

Coffee? Yes, Please!

I mean, who doesn’t drink coffee?… well, apart from Mormons, kids, people with bad heart conditions, and those who just don’t like it? Coffee is one of the greatest things mother nature has given us (apart from Mexicans, obviously)

There’s no better way to start your day than with a good cup of  coffee. I started drinking coffee when I was around 17 years old. Why did my parents allow this? Well, first, my dad makes the worst coffee in the world. How is this possible? He just doesn’t put enough coffee in the coffee machine (yes, it is filtered coffee), so, my sisters and I called it “tainted water that smells, somehow, like coffee”. Very tame and not strong at all.

Then, during university, coffee was just a mean we used to stay awake during the long nights of study for the exams. I didn’t really care for the flavour or texture or fragrance, it was just another energy drink.

When I went corporate, the coffee there was hideous, strong, tasted like caffeine sand, awful, but hey, it did the job. My productivity was high and I felt I could conquer the world!… so to speak.

Finally, I met NZ Baristas … No need to say that New Zealand coffee is the best, I mean, the way they prepare coffee there. My friend Ana took me for the first time to get New Zealand coffee, everything was amazing: the flat whites, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, espressos, etc. I was delighted, and finally after years of considering coffee just another energy drink, I found my muse. The way kiwis treat coffee and prepare it into these amazing beverages is outstanding, the texture, the flavour, the fragrances, etc, are just magnificent.

And Newzealanders are very …. picky about coffee, they are very knowledgeable about their coffee and the way it should be prepared. Could be said that they are this way because most of them were baristas during highschool and university? Just kidding!

I leave you with something that was written on a billboard on my way to work, I used to see this statement every morning while I lived in New Zealand: “A day without coffee is like something without something”.

Green Freaking Tea Bro!

Since 2013 started I’ve changed many personal habits. I stopped drinking soda, I used to drink plenty of diet coke just for the caffeine, but I decided to stop that. I’m walking a lot more and using more the public transportation. Finally, I introduced Green Tea to my every day diet.

At first I was hesitant, as the flavour isn’t great, but after a week I did notice certain changes. First, I felt more awake, focused and alert. Second, my digestive system started working better and getting rid of toxins. Third, the flavour grew in me and now I like it.

There are several benefits that green tea gives you. It is made from the leaves of Camelia Sinensis, which comes from China. Green tea is always associated with South-east Asian cuisine and its millenarian cultures, I mean, there’s a reason they keep drinking this and living long lives, right? The benefits of green tea are claimed by many, however, the scientific studies to prove these claims have been inconclusive.

I do feel much better and, glad I took this path instead of drinking soda.  Go for it, I used to be a BIG soda drinker, now that’s in the past, sorry Coca Cola company. I also used to drink a LOT of Coffee, I still love my coffee, don’t get me wrong, but having green tea as “The” healthy option feels great.

Ps. A great friend of mine, Gabriel Saldana, is a tea enthusiast, I bet that you could find more information about tea in his blog.

Ps2. I’ve found a job, a great job, I’ve moved to Mexico City (city I love!) and started a new life here. I reckon I need to start crossing off some of my 2013 new years resolutions, right?

Bed, Bath and… Iceland

Iceland, what do you know about Iceland? I’ve been curious about this country ever since I went to Europe on 2004 for the first time.

Where elves, gnomes and faires live

Located far up north of the Atlantic Ocean, the land of Bjork, hákarl (cured shark), geothermal energy, imprisoned bankers and conscious society is really something else. It is in my top 5 countries to visit in the next two years. Funny as it might sound, Iceland was mentioned, most of the time, while I was living in New Zealand by some of my friends in the American continent. They thought I was living there and not in Middle Earth.

Iceland is a Nordic European island country, it only has 320,000 inhabitants in 103,000 square kilometres and its capital is Reykjavík. They Speak Icelandic, which is descended from Old Norse, that’ll be fun to learn. But, what do these people eat?

Wait until you read what this is…

They eat a lot of cured meat, mostly lamb and fish, uh, including black pudding (awesome). Two dishes seem pretty interesting, the cured shark or hákarl and the Þorramatur (which consists of meat and fish cured in a traditional manner). Oh, bare in mind that the cured shark is … actually fermented shark that is left to dry for 5 months!

The other reason I’d like to go to Iceland is to see the Northern Lights. Even though I don’t seem enthusiastic about this natural beauty, I do want to witness this before I die.

What are you waiting for?

Have you ever travelled there? Is it awesome as they say? Is it true that they have the coolest mayor in the world, Jon Gnarr?

Ps. Please, please, read this article regarding Iceland’s on going revolution against their bankers and the international financial system: “Other Countries Bailout Bankers, Iceland Jails Them” by Hiram Crespo

Ps2. One of the safest, friendliest and most awesome places in the world is worth visiting. So, what are you waiting for?